Sarah Keating was recently named the new superintendent at Lake Dardanelle State Park and will assume her role upon the retirement of current superintendent Andy Thomas.

And the Kansas native has never felt more at home in Arkansas than now.

After interning at Lake Dardanelle State Park in college, Keating was hooked on Arkansas.

“It had a great state park system,” Keating said. “I was lucky enough to come back after graduation.”

Upon completion of her degree in park-resource management at Kansas State University, Keating worked at the Crater of Diamonds State Park as a park interpreter. She moved to Russellville in 2002 when an interpreter position became available in the Arkansas River Valley.

“I loved Russellville,” Keating said. “There were a lot of opportunities. It was similar in size to my hometown, had a college feel, good schools and a way to move up for me and my husband.”

Lake Dardanelle was exactly the type of park Keating saw herself working at, she said. The interactions she was able to make with campers made the park seem like the right fit.

Keating soon moved up as the park’s assistant superintendent and now has stepped into the head position.

A manager of the park, a superintendent oversees the staff, budget, projects, equipment and maintenance. Keating’s co-workers are one of the reasons she was eager to move into the superintendent position.

“It is an amazing group of people who love their jobs,” she said. “I have always been excited to be a part of that team.”

One reason Keating loves her job is Lake Dardanelle’s natural beauty.

“Our lake is still natural,” Keating said. “That’s why we have such great opportunities here; we haven’t used it unwisely.”

Opportunities such as swimming, fishing, camping, boating and kayaking are what keeps the lake busy. Keating enjoys kayaking because it is peaceful and relaxing.

“I’m a naturalist at heart, and kayaking allows me to watch wildlife,” she said. “My family enjoys kayaking together on the lake.”

Her husband, Joe, is a technical support administrator at Arkansas Tech University and has always shared Keating’s love for the outdoors. Their daughters, Courtney, 15, and Emily, 10, enjoy state park life as much as their parents. Every spring break, the family travels to a new park to camp.

Keating encourages families to visit Lake Dardanelle State Park for not only its camping and water opportunities but also for its monthly programs and city-sponsored events, such as its daily Day Care Days and Sunset Cinema, which will be at 8 p.m. on June 26.

“We are very much a part of Russellville, and we have a lot to offer families in the community,” she said.

For more information about Lake Dardanelle State Park, call (479) 967-5516 or visit www.arkansasstateparks.com/lakedardannelle.